Little Girl's Drowning Death Used as Excuse for Bad Behavior by Club Executive Director

Brianna Murray's drowning death went unacknowledged by virtually everybody until Tuesday morning. Retemar Robinson was livid when she read the paper on Tuesday morning and discovered that Robert Generali, former executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury, was using the death of her daughter as an excuse for his alcohol abuse and subsequent crimes.

Brianna Murray was 5-years-old when she tragically drowned at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury in June of 2008. When she signed her children up a week and a half before the incident, Retemar informed the club that Brianna and her brother Darnelle, 7, did not know how to swim. Improperly supervised and in a pool that did not meet any American Red Cross guidelines, Brianna slipped under the surface unnoticed by the Club staff member who was sitting poolside.

Robert Generali has pled guilty to charges of theft, wire fraud, and tax crimes after a federal investigation found he had been stealing money from the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Waterbury for five years. Generali's attorney, Alex Hernandez, has asked the court for leniency during sentencing claiming that Generali was guilt-ridden after Brianna drowned in his Club's pool.

Retemar and her attorney, Kathleen Nastri of Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, question Generali's motives since he has made no effort to apologize, reach out, or improve the safety of the club's pool and aquatic programs. Without dramatic changes, like limiting the number of children in the pool and requiring rescue-ready lifeguards to monitor the children, the safety of children in this program continues to be at risk.

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